Strengthening Indigenous languages: an update

It has been four years since the Australian Government included Target 16 – to strengthen  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages – in the ‘Closing the Gap’ targets. What has been happening since Target 16 was announced? 

The status of Target 16 is officially ‘unknown’ (as of July 2023), and  the fourth National Indigenous Language Survey will not be  published until 2026 but what has progress looked like so far? There is already some exciting, new work happening, as this blog will outline.

International Decade of Indigenous Languages  

Happy International Decade of Indigenous Languages! Universally, Australia is not the only country to care about the status of Indigenous languages, as we are currently in the middle of the United Nations’ International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022 – 2032). Following the UN’s International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019, the UN has established this decade to focus on the “preservation, revitalization and promotion” of Indigenous languages. Australia is one of many countries to be a part of this celebration, developing the Voices of Country Action Plan as “a call to action for all stakeholders”.

Voices of Country 

A collaboration between the Australian Government, First Languages Australia and the  Federal Government’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages Directions Group, the Voices of Country Action plan is described as “framed through five inter-connected themes: 

1. Stop the Loss 
2. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities are Centre 
3. Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer
4. Caring for Country, and 
5. Truth-telling and Celebration.”

The purpose of the initiative is to pilot actions towards language strength based on community decisions, outlining various ways governments can approach the Closing the Gap targets. In a report released about the 2022-2032 10-year action plan, it outlines: 

“Consistent with the Global Action Plan, the Australian Government will undertake and report on practical commitments that deliver progress against the framework set out in Voices of Country. The Australian Government will report against these commitments on an annual basis”

However, producing the Voices of Country Action Plan is only one of many activities that the Australian Government has invested in!  

Language Policy Partnership

Alongside the Voice to Country Action plan, a key milestone in the progression of Target 16 is the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language Policy Partnership, established December 2022  and known as the LPP . The LLP seeks to “establish a true partnership approach with truth-telling, equal representation and shared decision-making fundamental to the National Agreement for Closing the Gap”.

The program is a collaboration between the Coalition of Peaks, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language experts, and various government members. Through the LPP and discussions with various communities, seven priorities have been outlined to make progress on Target 16 and strengthen Indigenous languages. The priorities are as follows: 

1. Speaking and using languages 
2. Supporting the people, groups and organisations who work in languages
3. Languages legislation
4. Access to Country
5. More funding that goes where communities need it
6. Bringing language home to the people and communities
7. Help people understand the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages

From this commitment, the LPP has also said “The LPP is working to develop a national and coordinated approach to achieving Target 16. This includes working in partnership, centring the community-controlled sector, changing how governments work, and sharing the right data and information to make important decisions. The LPP will also work according to annual work plans and a three-year strategic plan.”. Since its establishment, the organisation has met seven times with published documents reflecting their discussions available. 

The Australian Government has invested $9.7 million into the LPP and states the program will undertake evaluation after three years ( in 2026).  In the most recent Closing the Gap report, released in February 2025, the Government has also confirmed the extension of support for the LPP until 30 June 2028.

A look back on previous Target 16 progress 

As Alexandra Grey noted back in 2021, funding for the Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program had been planned for the progression of Target 16. The ILA, in collaboration with First Languages Australia, saw 25 language centres open throughout the country and teach the various languages in their surrounding areas. Following this, the ILA has also said it will invest over $37 million in 2024-2025 to “support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to express, conserve and sustain their cultures through languages and arts activities throughout Australia.”

In the most recent Closing the Gap report, three actions have also been confirmed for commencement in 2025 including $53.8 million over 4 years to support community-led language learning; the expansion of language centres for operation in 2027-2028; and a National Interpreting and Translating Framework and First Nations Language Education initiative. 

The status of the actions planned as part of the 2024 Implementation Plan has just been released, at the time of writing. It includes two updates about Target 16 on language strengthening:

Moreover, progressing the Languages Sector Strengthening Plan (SSP) is part of Priority Reform 2 for 2025.

In 2025, the planned actions for language strengthening include to:

• Finalise National Collections Strategy for management of First Nations language materials held in community, state and private collections;
• Finalise development of the fourth National Indigenous Languages Survey;
• Finalise draft Languages SSP for consideration by Joint Council;
• Determine Indigenous Languages and Arts Program funding allocations;
• Review the Indigenous Languages and Arts program to embed Priority Reforms;
• Commence grant activities under the First Nations Language Program; and
• Deliver draft evaluation report for the Languages Policy Partnership.

All of these actions seem to reflect a direct and ambitious approach in reaching the goals of Target 16. 

Alongside funding for language centres, over 80 Indigenous-owned art centres will receive a portion of over $38 million in federal funding to support cultural practices as part of the Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts and Industry Support (IVAIS) program. Such funding ensures artists are able to work, receive an income and develop professional skills.  

Impact of these actions 

It appears the Australian government has taken a community-based approach for this goal, consulting with community members and First Nations representatives for official and efficient actions. With all the great initiatives underway, it is easy to assume that progression with Target 16 is happening. However, we will not be able to truly know the effects of these initiatives until 2026 as we wait on the fourth National Indigenous Language Survey and the LPP program evaluation. 

Kristen Martin is a proud Yuin woman, raised on Wonnaruah Country and currently working on Dharug land. She is currently in her 3^rd year of a Bachelor of Linguistics and Language Sciences at Macquarie University. She is also currently working as a Research Assistant under Dr Alexandra Grey at the University of Technology Sydney. 

This update was published in abridged form on Language on the Move on 15 Feb 2025 and has been extended here to report on the just-released national Closing the Gap 2024 report and 2025 plans.